A Boutique Hotel in LA That Won't Break the Bank: Custom Hotel

Let's say you're coming into LA and you need a place to stay. You want something simple and sexy, functional but fun, a place that has free wi-fi but a kick ass pool. You'd love to stay the W in Westwood or the London in West Hollywood or the Huntley in Santa Monica but you'd rather save your money so you can do a little Christmas shopping at the Grove. So what do you do?

You check out Custom Hotel.

With prices starting at $139 for a basic room, you'll probably shave off a couple hundred dollars per night easy.

Just minutes from LAX, you'll be able to plop down your bags and make a run for their pool while most are still swearing underneath their breath about the crazy LA traffic.

From their website: "Custom Hotel offers a stylish and innovative perspective to overnight stays. Situated high on a hill on Lincoln Boulevard, our 250 guest rooms and suites offer some of the city's most stunning panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean, Malibu, Hollywood and Downtown Los Angeles. The hotel features espresso check-in, an on-the-go breakfast bar, Bistrotek restaurant, heated outdoor pool, stadium sundeck, Hopscotch pool bar and grill, poolside cabanas, fire pit and DJ lounge."

DJ lounge? Pool bar? Let's check out in pictures.

You walk in and immediately notice that they've decorated in a fun but whimsical fashion, like the W but less glitzy.

A part of the lobby can be turned into a lounge area, as you can tell by the decks they have stationed toward the middle of the room.

You'll notice funny and offbeat things about this hotel, like these sheep stationed in the lobby...

toy birds hanging on a chandelier...

a quirky bathroom with some interesting design...

You check out the rooms and they are minimal and basic. They are also quite small, but you don't plan on sleeping much.

You get a little hungry so you head on back downstairs to their contemporary restaurant, Bistrotek, where you notice that the decor is hip and you think that if you lived nearby you may plan a private party here.

Now you're ready for the pool so you saunter through the wooden gates and you think...now I can relax.

It's like the Standard or W Westwood's pool but less chaotic and crowded. No hairy chested 30 year old trying to scope out 20 year old booty, no 20 year in Elvis glasses trying to find his next Hollywood movie deal.

Pool seating is ample, they even have this stadium seating area where you can lounge.

You walk up the stairs and you see a huge upper deck where there's another bar. You can only imagine what this place might look like in the summer when the college kids come down from Loyola and drive over from UCLA to enjoy a day of house music in the sun.

Overall: An affordable hotel to stay in if you're visiting from LA and you want something more classy than a Marriott but less expensive than a W. You get the personal service of a boutique hotel, you get to lounge poolside and enjoy the California sun, and you're only minutes away from the airport.

Thank you, Glenn and Tammi, for our private tour of Custom Hotel. We hope to see you at your next pool party!

Custom Hotel
8639 Lincoln Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90045
(310) 645-0400